With the proliferation of matches in the cricket schedule, teams are increasingly using different players for different formats, with only a core group remaining constant across Tests, ODIs and Twenty20s. This means the number of players fielded by teams in a year has increased in recent times. In 2011, for instance, India have fallen only two short of using the most players in ODIs, finishing on 34 to West Indies' 36 in 2009. In this week's column we've examined which team needed the most cricketers in a year.

England played only 14 matches in 1930, when Tests were the only form of international cricket that existed. Yet they used as many as 41 players during the course of that year, 11 of whom were debutants. Even with the rapid rise in the number of matches since, no team has needed more players in a year.

In the winter of 1929-30 the MCC, as England's touring sides were known then, sent two squads on concurrent tours of New Zealand and the West Indies. Fourteen players travelled to New Zealand, of whom 12 were used in the four-Test series that England won 1-0. The West Indies tour party comprised 15 players, of whom 13 took part in the series that was drawn 1-1. The last of those matches was the timeless Test that had to be called off because it had gone on for nine days and the England players had a ship to catch. It was also the match in which Andy Sandham scored 325 and never played again. Most of the players who went on these tours were not part of the Ashes at home in 1930, during which England used 21 players: 16 of them had not travelled to New Zealand or West Indies.

Most players for a team in a year - All internationals

Team

Year

Num

Tests

ODIs

T20Is

Mat

Tests

ODIs

T20Is

Debuts

England

1930

41

41

0

0

14

14

0

0

11

West Indies

2009

41

30

36

23

41

12

21

8

12

Pakistan

2010

40

29

28

30

46

10

18

18

6

West Indies

2011

40

17

27

23

43

10

28

5

16

India

2000

39

25

31

0

40

6

34

0

13

India

2010

39

21

33

21

48

14

27

7

11

India

2011

39

25

34

21

49

11

34

4

4

England

1996

38

27

31

0

29

9

20

0

12

England

1998

38

28

27

0

28

16

12

0

7

Australia

2009

38

19

32

28

61

13

39

9

13

England

1999

37

26

20

0

28

8

21

0

6

India

2001

37

28

26

0

37

13

24

0

5

Pakistan

2003

37

28

32

0

41

8

33

0

10

England have a monopoly on the top seven years with the most Test players - the earliest being 1899 (35 players in seven matches) and the latest 1951 (33 players in 13 matches). West Indies are the first team other than England in the table below - the most players they used in a year being 30, in 1930. West Indies played only five Tests that year, four against England at home and one in Australia. Of those 30, only George Headley and Clifford Roach played all five Tests. One of those players was Puss Achong, the first cricketer of Chinese extraction to play Tests. The term "chinaman" for a left-arm wrist-spinner was reportedly coined for Achong. He played only one Test in 1930. Seventeen of those 30 players played only one Test in 1930.

England's entry for 1989 is remarkable because they used as many as 29 players for one six-Test Ashes. It is the second largest number of players used by a team in a series, behind the 30 England used during the 1921 Ashes.

Most players for a team in a year - Tests

Team

Year

Num

Debuts

Mat

Won

Draw

Lost

England

1930

41

11

14

3

7

4

England

1948

36

15

11

1

4

6

England

1899

35

17

7

2

4

1

England

1921

34

19

8

0

2

6

England

1951

33

15

13

5

5

3

England

1988

32

10

10

1

5

4

England

1935

31

13

9

1

5

3

West Indies

1930

30

16

5

1

2

2

England

1933

30

7

9

6

3

0

India

1952

30

9

11

3

3

5

England

1981

30

5

13

3

6

4

West Indies

2009

30

11

12

1

5

6

England

1964

29

9

12

1

10

1

Australia

1977

29

15

13

5

3

5

England

1984

29

8

15

1

6

8

England

1986

29

11

15

2

5

8

England

1989

29

5

6

0

2

4

England

1993

29

9

10

1

1

8

Pakistan

2010

29

8

10

2

2

6

In 2009, West Indies fielded 30 players in 12 Tests, 36 players in 21 ODIs - which is the most for a team in a year - and 23 players in eight Twenty20 internationals. This was largely because the row between the WICB and the WIPA boiled over days before the home series against Bangladesh was due to begin. As a result, 13 players (Chris Gayle, Adrian Barath, Sulieman Benn, Dwayne Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Runako Morton, Brendan Nash, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Andrew Richardson, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Jerome Taylor) made themselves unavailable for selection. West Indies eventually had to field seven debutants in the first Test, in St Vincent, the most in a match since their first-ever Test in 1928. The upshot of the dispute was that Bangladesh won the Tests 2-0 and the ODIs 3-0.

Most players for a team in a year - ODIs

Team

Year

Num

Debuts

Mat

Won

Tied

Lost

West Indies

2009

36

9

21

4

0

15

India

2011

34

3

34

21

2

10

India

2010

33

11

27

17

0

10

Pakistan

2003

32

6

33

21

0

11

Australia

2009

32

13

39

23

0

14

Pakistan

1984

31

10

20

6

0

12

Pakistan

1995

31

9

19

8

1

10

England

1996

31

12

20

7

0

12

Pakistan

1996

31

11

39

23

0

15

Pakistan

1997

31

5

36

15

0

19

India

2000

31

8

34

15

0

19

West Indies

2001

31

6

30

13

0

17

Australia

1979

30

10

13

5

0

7

Pakistan

1998

30

4

26

12

0

14

Pakistan

2000

30

6

41

20

0

21

England

2006

30

8

20

5

0

14

England

2011

30

8

30

11

2

16

India

1998

29

9

40

24

0

14

West Indies

1999

29

9

35

14

1

19

South Africa

2000

29

6

41

25

1

14

South Africa

2002

29

6

38

22

1

15

West Indies

2008

29

9

20

5

0

13

New Zealand

2009

29

7

24

10

0

11

Pakistan

2011

29

9

32

24

0

7

Pakistan played 18 Twenty20 internationals in 2010. It is the most played by a team in a year. The 30 players they used in those matches is the highest number of T20 players used by a team in a year.

Most players for a team in a year - T20Is

Team

Year

Num

Debuts

Mat

Won

Tied

Lost

Pakistan

2010

30

5

18

6

0

12

Australia

2009

28

9

9

3

0

5

England

2007

26

15

8

2

0

6

South Africa

2009

25

8

12

8

0

4

England

2009

24

8

9

3

0

5

South Africa

2007

23

7

8

6

0

2

Sri Lanka

2009

23

6

13

7

0

6

West Indies

2009

23

7

8

5

0

3

New Zealand

2010

23

6

13

7

1

5

South Africa

2010

23

4

11

8

0

3

England

2011

23

9

7

4

0

3

West Indies

2011

23

13

5

2

0

3

South Africa

2006

22

13

3

1

0

2

West Indies

2008

22

10

4

1

1

2

Travis Basevi is a cricket statistician and UK Senior Programmer for ESPNcricinfo and other ESPN sports websites. George Binoy is an Assistant Editor at ESPNcricinfo

I see the stats show that WI used the most players for Tests, ODIs & T20s in 2009. I wondered why. Then I remembered that this was the year where the spat between WICB & WIPA was the ugliest, and practically the entire 1st team was on strike. Hence West Indies had two completely different teams this calendar year. Probably even six teams given the three formats of the game.

SaravananIsTheBest
on December 21, 2011, 22:28 GMT

@(December 21 2011, 03:11 AM GMT), True... Especially the way he handled/hand-picked the injury-prone players in WC'11 was just mind-blowing. He has got lot to offer even after he retired for sure.

Mr_Anonymous
on December 21, 2011, 21:21 GMT

I think this is a good article but I would definitely put the table related to "Most players for a team in a year - All internationals" last, not before the other tables.

I think it isn't fair to club all internationals together especially when there are more members of the side who are more suited for a specific form of the game. I mean ideally, it would be nice to have the same team for all formats but we know its just not very likely. We know that there are (and perhaps have always been) players more suited to a specific form of game (e.g. Yuvraj and Bevan for ODIs, Yusuf Pathan and say Malinga for T20s). It does not mean that these players cannot play other formats very well but they are definitely outstanding in the format that suits them best. There will always be players who will transcend formats and be good at all (e.g. Tendulkar, Kallis, Warne, Murali) but increasingly I think they might be a minority (to increase focus on their preferred format and manage injuries better).

DrAtharAbbas
on December 21, 2011, 15:45 GMT

Can we count most number of captains used in a year. Pakistan might have a monopoly on that list.

CricketMaan
on December 21, 2011, 12:07 GMT

A true reflection on a very consistent and energetic Aussies, and also on the most hyped and erratic and inconsisten England..also highlighted the selection dram that goes in sub continenet with India and Pakistan stealing some limelight in ODIs

tfjones1978
on December 21, 2011, 12:03 GMT

"In the winter of 1929-30 the MCC, as England's touring sides were known then, sent two squads on concurrent tours of New Zealand and the West Indies."
Of the list, this interests me the most. There are 105 teams in the world, but I can not recall the last time a full member played against an affiliate team. A touring squad requires 15 players and there are 59 affiliate teams and 36 associate teams. To bring T20 matches to the world, each full member should send multiple teams to each of these countries over a two year period. 95 countries every two years with say six teams per country (8 countries per year per team per country). What better way to promote cricket then to ensure that each country in the world plays against five full members each year. After all, a full member could send club cricketters to play them and be competitive, so there will be plenty of players to choose from!

on December 21, 2011, 11:36 GMT

thanks for sharing this information

Windies89
on December 21, 2011, 4:16 GMT

good to see Windies topping the list in something...don't tell me what this list is for.

on December 21, 2011, 3:11 GMT

These statistics demonstrate the reason for India's good showing in the world cup. India has been most innovative of all the teams in the past few years... Kudos to Dhoni as well.

WindiesWillow
on December 23, 2011, 0:45 GMT

I see the stats show that WI used the most players for Tests, ODIs & T20s in 2009. I wondered why. Then I remembered that this was the year where the spat between WICB & WIPA was the ugliest, and practically the entire 1st team was on strike. Hence West Indies had two completely different teams this calendar year. Probably even six teams given the three formats of the game.

SaravananIsTheBest
on December 21, 2011, 22:28 GMT

@(December 21 2011, 03:11 AM GMT), True... Especially the way he handled/hand-picked the injury-prone players in WC'11 was just mind-blowing. He has got lot to offer even after he retired for sure.

Mr_Anonymous
on December 21, 2011, 21:21 GMT

I think this is a good article but I would definitely put the table related to "Most players for a team in a year - All internationals" last, not before the other tables.

I think it isn't fair to club all internationals together especially when there are more members of the side who are more suited for a specific form of the game. I mean ideally, it would be nice to have the same team for all formats but we know its just not very likely. We know that there are (and perhaps have always been) players more suited to a specific form of game (e.g. Yuvraj and Bevan for ODIs, Yusuf Pathan and say Malinga for T20s). It does not mean that these players cannot play other formats very well but they are definitely outstanding in the format that suits them best. There will always be players who will transcend formats and be good at all (e.g. Tendulkar, Kallis, Warne, Murali) but increasingly I think they might be a minority (to increase focus on their preferred format and manage injuries better).

DrAtharAbbas
on December 21, 2011, 15:45 GMT

Can we count most number of captains used in a year. Pakistan might have a monopoly on that list.

CricketMaan
on December 21, 2011, 12:07 GMT

A true reflection on a very consistent and energetic Aussies, and also on the most hyped and erratic and inconsisten England..also highlighted the selection dram that goes in sub continenet with India and Pakistan stealing some limelight in ODIs

tfjones1978
on December 21, 2011, 12:03 GMT

"In the winter of 1929-30 the MCC, as England's touring sides were known then, sent two squads on concurrent tours of New Zealand and the West Indies."
Of the list, this interests me the most. There are 105 teams in the world, but I can not recall the last time a full member played against an affiliate team. A touring squad requires 15 players and there are 59 affiliate teams and 36 associate teams. To bring T20 matches to the world, each full member should send multiple teams to each of these countries over a two year period. 95 countries every two years with say six teams per country (8 countries per year per team per country). What better way to promote cricket then to ensure that each country in the world plays against five full members each year. After all, a full member could send club cricketters to play them and be competitive, so there will be plenty of players to choose from!

on December 21, 2011, 11:36 GMT

thanks for sharing this information

Windies89
on December 21, 2011, 4:16 GMT

good to see Windies topping the list in something...don't tell me what this list is for.

on December 21, 2011, 3:11 GMT

These statistics demonstrate the reason for India's good showing in the world cup. India has been most innovative of all the teams in the past few years... Kudos to Dhoni as well.

No featured comments at the moment.

on December 21, 2011, 3:11 GMT

These statistics demonstrate the reason for India's good showing in the world cup. India has been most innovative of all the teams in the past few years... Kudos to Dhoni as well.

Windies89
on December 21, 2011, 4:16 GMT

good to see Windies topping the list in something...don't tell me what this list is for.

on December 21, 2011, 11:36 GMT

thanks for sharing this information

tfjones1978
on December 21, 2011, 12:03 GMT

"In the winter of 1929-30 the MCC, as England's touring sides were known then, sent two squads on concurrent tours of New Zealand and the West Indies."
Of the list, this interests me the most. There are 105 teams in the world, but I can not recall the last time a full member played against an affiliate team. A touring squad requires 15 players and there are 59 affiliate teams and 36 associate teams. To bring T20 matches to the world, each full member should send multiple teams to each of these countries over a two year period. 95 countries every two years with say six teams per country (8 countries per year per team per country). What better way to promote cricket then to ensure that each country in the world plays against five full members each year. After all, a full member could send club cricketters to play them and be competitive, so there will be plenty of players to choose from!

CricketMaan
on December 21, 2011, 12:07 GMT

A true reflection on a very consistent and energetic Aussies, and also on the most hyped and erratic and inconsisten England..also highlighted the selection dram that goes in sub continenet with India and Pakistan stealing some limelight in ODIs

DrAtharAbbas
on December 21, 2011, 15:45 GMT

Can we count most number of captains used in a year. Pakistan might have a monopoly on that list.

Mr_Anonymous
on December 21, 2011, 21:21 GMT

I think this is a good article but I would definitely put the table related to "Most players for a team in a year - All internationals" last, not before the other tables.

I think it isn't fair to club all internationals together especially when there are more members of the side who are more suited for a specific form of the game. I mean ideally, it would be nice to have the same team for all formats but we know its just not very likely. We know that there are (and perhaps have always been) players more suited to a specific form of game (e.g. Yuvraj and Bevan for ODIs, Yusuf Pathan and say Malinga for T20s). It does not mean that these players cannot play other formats very well but they are definitely outstanding in the format that suits them best. There will always be players who will transcend formats and be good at all (e.g. Tendulkar, Kallis, Warne, Murali) but increasingly I think they might be a minority (to increase focus on their preferred format and manage injuries better).

SaravananIsTheBest
on December 21, 2011, 22:28 GMT

@(December 21 2011, 03:11 AM GMT), True... Especially the way he handled/hand-picked the injury-prone players in WC'11 was just mind-blowing. He has got lot to offer even after he retired for sure.

WindiesWillow
on December 23, 2011, 0:45 GMT

I see the stats show that WI used the most players for Tests, ODIs & T20s in 2009. I wondered why. Then I remembered that this was the year where the spat between WICB & WIPA was the ugliest, and practically the entire 1st team was on strike. Hence West Indies had two completely different teams this calendar year. Probably even six teams given the three formats of the game.